70 REPORT ON THE INTRODUCTION OF 



To this day most of the natives believe that he had a genuine attack 

 of hydrophobia, and no amount of argument will convince them to the 

 contrary. Of course, the doctor believed it a most serious one, and his 

 early recovery was caused from his wonderful healing 1 power. Later in 

 the winter we learned that the story of the man's sickness had trav- 

 eled 150 miles south and nearly double that distance north. Many of 

 the natives in the village were so badly frightened that they came to 

 the station continuously for some days, and a number of children stayed 

 away from school for a day or two for fear they would be eaten up by 

 the Siberian. 



I have related this incident to show the variety of diversions we have 

 had at the station, and that sometimes they are of a character to 

 severely try one's patience. 



I have referred to the opposition of the Siberians to any change in 

 the management of the deer from that which they had been used to 

 practice, but we encountered their most severe opposition in the matter 

 of getting them to break deer to the sled. 



I do not wish to be understood as saying that at any time they 

 became unruly or that we had to coax or cajole them when any task was 

 to be performed. On the contrary, they were uniformly obedient, and 

 it seldom became necessary to speak harshly to them, but in matters 

 m which they were supposed to have a thorough knowledge they were 

 inclined to try to argue us out of any new departure or experiment. 



There were only three deer that had been broken in the entire herd, 

 and the Siberians told us there were no more geldings in the herd. 

 Judging from the appearance of some of the deer, we thought they 

 must be mistaken, and one day ordered them all brought to the station. 

 So strong was their opposition to breaking deer that we began to 

 think it was part of a prearranged plan among themselves not to allow 

 us or the natives on this side to gain a knowledge of this important 

 branch of the business. We thought perhaps they had been so 

 instructed before leaving the Siberian side, or were jealous of the 

 natives here learning the business, for fear they could not obtain a job 

 in the future. 



The more than half expected possibility of being obliged to move the 

 herd into the interior a hundred miles or more for feed stared us in the 

 face, and, without deer to haul supplies, Ave would be left in a sorry 

 plight indeed, especially as we had no dogs, and up to this time it 

 looked as if we might not be able to procure any. Besides, there were 

 experiments to be made in the matter of driving on long journeys, to 

 test their capacity for traveling, and to teach them to eat domestic 

 food, and we thought the time ripe for vigorous measures, in this par- 

 ticular at least. 



When the deer came lip we ordered the Siberians to catch a gelding 

 They insisted there were none. They were then ordered to catch a 

 bull. They began an argument in opposition to it, and for a time it 



